Massapequa International softball falls to Toms River, eliminated from Little League tournament
Emma Kusterer at-bat in the bottom of the sixth inning for Massapequa during International Little League girls play Monday in Bristol, Conn. Credit: Douglas Healey
Though the Massapequa International 12-and-under softball team is coming home earlier than it had hoped, it is bringing back lots of pride with it.
Massapequa lost to Toms River (New Jersey), 3-2, in the semifinals of the Little League World Series Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament in Bristol, Connecticut on Wednesday night. With its elimination, the team finished the tournament 2-2. Toms River moved on to face Minersville (Pennsylvania) in the championship game at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Massapequa had been down to its last chance since last Saturday, when it lost to Minersville in the first round. Since then, with extra pressure to stay alive, the girls had pulled off back-to-back late rallies on Monday against Middletown-Odessa-Townsend (Delaware) and Tuesday against Delmar (Maryland), giving themselves a shot at making the regional final. They came back from down 3-2 in the fourth inning to beat MOT, and then rallied for seven unanswered runs to knock off Delmar after trailing it 4-0 through the first four frames.
“The other coaches around this complex have been telling me that they know we don’t die,” Massapequa manager Joe Sollitto said. “We don’t back down … We are a true all-star team. To say that I’m proud of these girls is an understatement.”
The girls continued to fight hard against Toms River. They entered the bottom of the fifth inning trailing 3-0, but Gabby Meyer got them on the board by driving in Emma Kusterer with an RBI groundout. In the sixth, with runners at the corners, Massapequa attempted a double steal, with Giuliana Cretty getting caught at second base, allowing Sophia Nislow to score from third to make it a one-run game.
Milla Sollitto reached on an error with two outs to put the tying run back on base, but Toms River righthander Jaelyn Brown got the final out to end it.
Kusterer went 2-for-2 out of the No. 6 spot in the lineup, while Nislow went 2-for-3 with a run scored out of the leadoff spot. Cretty went 1-for-3 with a steal and also reached on an error in the first inning. Emily Cullinan and Ruby Ponticello each recorded one hit apiece.
In relief, Milla Sollitto faced the minimum over two innings, allowing just one hit that was erased on an outfield assist from centerfield by Cullinan.
“They knew they were in this game until the last out, and that’s the most special thing about this team,” Joe Sollitto said. “They didn’t need any motivation.”
Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.
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